Five Observations from USC vs. Oregon State

Bringing the House illustration

Entering Saturday night's game, the USC Trojans and the Oregon State Beavers could not have been going in more opposite of directions. In its prior two games, the men of Troy swept the Arizona schools and gave themselves great momentum heading into Corvallis, Oregon, where it had not won since 2004. Meanwhile, the Beavers had lost its past two contests--a 17-14 affair at UCLA and an embarrassing 31-14 defeat on its home turf against the lowly Washington State Cougars. When you combine those factors with the fact that Beavers star wideout James Rodgers is done for the season, it seemed as though the stars were aligned for USC to end its recent history of forgettable performances in Corvallis. Unfortunately for the Trojans, star alignment matters only in astrology, not in football.

Here is what we learned after watching the Beavers beat the Trojans 36-7…

1.  Lane Kiffin Still Finding His Way

In previous posts, I have addressed Lane Kiffin's emergence as a great play-caller. He has shown creativity, courage, and strong leadership during a tumultuous season at USC. Earlier this season, on numerous occasions, Kiffin mentioned the need for USC to establish an identity. He felt that it was important that the team create a brand of football, an approach so strong and unique that the team could rely upon it in every game. Last night, I saw a coach that went against the philosophies that he himself had set in previous performances. I saw a coach still tinkering with his own identity.

Kiffin decided to "go for it" on six different fourth-down situations. The Trojans converted a total of two of those attempts. While I generally advocate fourth-down attempts, the approach to these fourth-downs made me scratch my head. In several of those situations, the Trojans ran to the line of scrimmage in a hurry after they came up short on third-down and tried to run a play to catch the Beavers off guard or in the middle of a substitution. That strategy worked exactly zero times. The strategy itself is not bad if you are accustomed to an up-tempo style and have disciplined personnel (think Oregon Ducks). But USC has never been that type of team in past seasons, and it certainly has not been that type of team this season. And while the Trojans may work on that during practice here and there, I question whether the team should employ such a divergent approach in highly-crucial fourth-down situations.

Next, Kiffin continues to mismanage the running back corps. While he cannot really do anything to prevent in-game injuries like the one suffered by Marc Tyler last night, Kiffin basically puts each running back in his dog house at least once per game, and I highly doubt that this treatment helps build confidence for these young players. Look, there is no doubt that the USC running backs have talent; they were all four- and five-star recruits out of high school with incredible blends of athletic ability. But what separates great backs from mediocre backs, besides injuries, is opportunity, otherwise known as carries. Check out the number of carries per game that some of the other Pac-10 Conference running backs get compared to what USC running backs get:

Rush Attempts Per Game:

LaMichael James - 25.0
Jacquizz Rodgers - 21.7
Shane Vereen - 18.9
Chris Polk - 17.9
Stepfan Taylor - 17.8
Marc Tyler - 13.3
Allen Bradford - 8.2

The averages for Dillon Baxter, C.J. Gable, and Stanley Havili are so low that it is not even worth including on the list. So, how does Kiffin expect any of his running backs to establish a rhythm and perform at a high level each week? With so little reps and quality playing time, I just don't see that happening for any running back regardless of what his name may be.

2.  Matt Barkley Needs to Improve His Judgment

Everyone is going to blast Barkley for the pick-six that he threw to Beavers cornerback Jordan Poyer to start the second quarter. Barkley had a receiver running an out route, which is an easy route for corners to jump if the quarterback stares down the receiver and throws a lazy ball. And that is exactly what happened last night. But there were other instances of poor judgment by Barkley that you cannot see in the box score.

On USC's fourth drive of the game, Barkley was under pressure and eventually sacked for a loss of nine yards. During the play, while Barkley was being pulled down by the Oregon State defender, Barkley desperately tried to throw the ball away and ended up heaving the ball about five yards in front of him (the referee ruled that his knee had hit the ground before he had released the ball). While nothing disastrous came of this play (beyond the loss of yardage), Barkley's decision to try to throw the ball away while being dragged to the ground is one that the coaches need to correct. It is a bad habit of quarterbacks who cannot see the big picture; that is, it is a short-sighted decision to "make a play." Barkley did it last week and he did it again last night. In the best-case scenario, it saves a couple of yards. In the worst case, it leads to turnovers and points for the opposition. Ultimately, the bottom line is that winning quarterbacks eat the loss of yards and tuck the football.

3.  Jacquizz Rodgers Owns USC Defense

So far in his career, Rodgers has played USC three times. Each time, Rodgers dominated the USC defense. Here is his career line against the Trojans:

83 carries, 427 yards (5.14 yards/rush), 4 TDs
13 catches, 80 yards (6.15 yards/catch), 1 TD

That's pretty darn impressive considering 1) USC's athletic defense and 2) Rodgers' size (if you buy the idea that small running backs can't be successful). For whatever reason, the Trojans just can't stop that guy (or his brother, if he plays). The Trojans seem to have more trouble with small, quick running backs than they do with big, bruising backs. But why?

The Trojans have always been a very quick defense that flies to the ball quicker than most teams in the country. Last night, the Trojans looked quicker than they have looked all season long. Although they were burned a couple times on the edges, they, for the most part, were able to stuff runs to the outside and had three or four players involved in those stops. It baffles me how Rodgers has so much success against the defense, regardless of who is trying to tackle him. Years ago Rodgers ran all over one of the best linebacking corps in the history of college football (Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews). He has consistently run for big gains up the middle of the defense despite gap-pluggers like Jurrell Casey and Fili Moala.

Simply put, Rodgers is just a great running back who has USC's number. It is uncertain whether Rodgers will enter the upcoming NFL Draft, but if he does, USC will be very, very happy to see him go.

4.  For USC, Final Two Games Will Be a Test of Character

The Trojans entered Saturday night's game 7-3 and it looked as though they could win their remaining three games to finish the regular season 10-3, which would be quite an accomplishment for Kiffin and his staff given the circumstances. Instead, the Trojans return to Los Angeles battered (worst loss to Oregon State dating back to 1914), bruised (Barkley's high-ankle sprain leaves him questionable for the next game), and perhaps unmotivated (double-digit win total is now out of reach like their postseason). But USC's final two games are against the team's two biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA. While both the Fighting Irish and the Bruins have had their troubles this season, both teams would like nothing more than to kick the Trojans while they are down.

It will be very easy for USC to pack it in for the rest of the season. Barkley has had high ankle issues in the past, and from a big-picture perspective it might be best to sit him out and start the recovery process toward next season. Why risk a long-term injury for two seemingly meaningless games? Furthermore, your prized running back Marc Tyler is also banged up, and with Allen Bradford in his last season, it might be a reasonable move to let Tyler focus on next season and let Bradford get the bulk of the carries to up his draft stock and send him out on a high note.

Regardless of what personnel Kiffin decides to go with, one thing is clear:  Although the next two games carry no postseason implications, they mean a lot to the fans, the program, and USC tradition. How the coaches approach the final two games and how the players prepare and perform will go a long way in establishing that identity that Kiffin desires. Because of the sanctions, USC will not have an opportunity to be a champion, of anything, this season. But in the next two weeks, the Trojans will have the chance to play like champions and salvage what they can of this season.

5.  For Oregon State, Final Two Games Will Make or Break the Season

Before the season began, the Beavers were a trendy pick to contend for the Pac-10 title. From a scheduling standpoint, Oregon State set itself up well for BCS praise with out-of-conference tilts against TCU and Boise State to complement the grind of the Pac-10's round-robin format. But after it lost two of its first three games and another three of four during a stretch from mid-October to mid-November, the Beavers found themselves on the wrong side of bowl bubble. While Saturday night's victory over USC certainly helped, Oregon State must now win one of its two remaining games to become bowl eligible. Their two remaining opponents? Sixth-ranked Stanford on the road and #1 Oregon in the annual Civil War rivalry game. It's pretty tough to imagine the Beavers winning either of those games, but with a bowl game berth on the line, you cannot count out coach Mike Riley and the scrappy Beaver bunch. If they do happen to lose both games, Oregon State fans have to wonder whether scheduling such a tough set of games was worth the price.

A Glimpse of Greatness: How Matt Barkley is Scratching the Surface of Expectations

After two straight games in which USC lost as time expired, the Trojans knew that Saturday's game was important. First, a victory would ensure that the team avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2001, Pete Carroll's first season. And second, a victory would send a clear statement to the nation that USC is still the same proud program--despite the sanctions--that won seven straight conference championships and multiple national championships. Well, in case you missed it, the Trojans accomplished both goals on Saturday night by delivering a 48-14 thumping on the California Golden Bears. While there were several things we can take away from that victory, one stood out from the rest:  Matt Barkley is as advertised and perhaps better. And when his college career is said and done, I would be shocked if he did not have a Heisman Trophy to his name.

The hype surrounding Barkley was enormous before he even set foot onto campus. People said it was only a matter of time before he would follow in the footsteps of Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart to become the next Heisman-winning quarterback at USC. Although he posted respectable numbers during his freshman campaign, plenty of people, including myself, doubted whether Barkley was the right guy for the program. For one, other quarterbacks within the conference, like Stanford's Andrew Luck, Arizona's Nick Foles, Oregon's then-starter Jeremiah Masoli, and Washington's Jake Locker, overshadowed Barkley; some had stronger arms, some had more agility, and others were more dependable.

Second, Barkley did not have any one performance that you could stamp as his "coming-out party." Although some would argue that his gritty performance at Ohio State in the biggest showdown of the year constitutes a "coming-out party," if you look at his individual numbers on that day, they do not exactly scream "Look at me, I have arrived!":  15-for-31 (48.4%) for 195 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In the other eleven games he started, he only threw more touchdowns than he did interceptions in four of them:  at home against a pathetic San Jose State team, at home against an equally pathetic Washington State team,  on the road against an underachieving Notre Dame squad, and on the road in a blowout loss to Oregon. On the season, Barkley threw rougly one interception for every touchdown he notched (14 picks, 15 TDs). I would find it hard to believe anyone who could look me straight in the eye and say, with a straight face, that they thought Barkley, after his freshman season, was "the real deal." There was nothing in any of his performances that would lead a seasoned college football fan to draw that conclusion.

But what you could draw, however, was that Barkley was motivated by his freshman year struggles. The guy entered this season in better physical shape having lost some weight and better mental shape by staying focused amidst earth-shattering sanctions and a coaching staff overhaul. But being svelt and saying the right things do not mean anything unless you can put it all together and perform on the football field.

Barkley started the season on fire, throwing a combined seven touchdowns in his first two games. Granted, the competition was not exactly fierce (Hawaii and Virginia). Barkley's next two games were shaky, but showed glimpses of what he achieved in the prior two:  a mediocre effort over Minnesota and a tremendous first half but disappointing second half against Washington State. Then, just when it seemed like the quarterback was on his way to a great season, Barkley laid a goose egg at home against the Huskies:  14-for-20 for 186 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions. The performance was so pitiful (I saw it in person) that I thought we had seen a quarterback who completely regressed back to his freshman form. But just when most people hopped off the Matt Barkley Heisman Trophy Bandwagon, the sophomore signal-caller bounced back with the two most impressive performances of his young career.

Against a poweful and favored Stanford team, Barkley went threw for a career high 390 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions; had the Trojans' porous defense  stopped Stanford on its eventual game-winning drive, it could have secured Barkley's first signature victory. Then, for an encore this past Saturday afternoon, Barkley carved up the other Bay Area squad. He threw for a school record 5 touchdown passes...in the first half (the record is both a first-half record and a single-game record). And if it weren't for some penalties down near Cal's goal line, Barkley would have had six scores.

As always, the box score does not tell the whole story. Against the Bears, Barkley coupled his strong decision-making with great passing. For the first of his five touchdown passes, Barkley scrambled to his right to evade a pass rush and then fired a bullet toward the front pylon of the end zone where Robert Woods made a magnificent grab with a defender draped on his back. For his next touchdown pass, Barkley again ran to avoid pressure and this time aired a ball out for David Ausberry down the right sideline. Barkley threw the ball knowing that Ausberry had a clear size advantage over the defensive back, and he threw the ball where only Ausberry could catch it--high and to Ausberry's back shoulder. Passes like these from Barkley were a dime a dozen in the first half, and if it were not for Kiffin taking his foot off of the pedal in a 42-0 game, Barkley certainly would have had a monstrous second half. Also, keep in mind that Cal's defense had been very solid against the pass. Here is what Cal's defense did against opposing quarterbacks in its previous five games:

• 57 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
• 166 yds, 0 TD, 3 INT
• 181 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT
• 212 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
• 99 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

If you ask me, that is some pretty impressive pass defense. But apparently Barkley didn't care and made Cal's secondary look as bad as his own (although for what it's worth, USC's secondary played better that day; I even saw T.J. McDonald defend a pass with his head turned toward the ball! Miraculously, it resulted in a pick! Who would've thought?).

As it sits now, Barkley has thrown 20 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. He has completed nearly 60% of his passes (59.9% to be exact). He is averaging 8.9 yards per pass attempt, which is a clear indication that he is looking downfield instead of underneath. He also is developing a great relationship with emerging star Robert Woods. The two have connected 19 times for 340 yards and 5 touchdowns in the past two games. Woods will be here at least for another season, if not two, and if other young receivers like Kyle Prater and Markeith Ambles can provide some help, Barkley would suddenly have a ridiculous wide receiving corps.

But maybe the biggest reason why Barkley will win a Heisman is because of the learning ability and growth he has demonstrated thus far under Kiffin. It is obvious that the defense needs help and the special teams has its own issues. USC's running game has always been a strength and at times it looked like USC would be a run-first, grind it out type team. But over the course of this season we have seen Barkley grow in front of our eyes. When I watch the offense play, I feel like they are unstoppable. Sure, they may punt once or twice per game, but I am very confident that when we need to score, Barkley will march us down the field and get us the points. No doubt. And eventually, barring any critical injuries, Barkley and his receiving corps will become a well-oiled machine that will remind SC fans of the days when Leinart spread the ball around to receivers like Mike Williams, Dwayne Jarrett, and Steve Smith. And on that day, Barkley will have lived up to the hype.

What We Learned from USC vs. Stanford: Silver Lining in a Tough Loss

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

USC and Stanford each suffered its first loss of the season last week. The Trojans looked outmatched against a Jake Locker-led UW team that rallied in the fourth quarter to down USC, yet again, with a field goal as time expired. The Cardinal jumped out to a 21-3 first quarter lead in its highly anticipated showdown against Oregon, but the Ducks responded by outscoring Stanford 49-10 over the next three quarters en route to a 52-31 thumping. Although its powerful offense played well, Stanford's defense allowed 626 total yards to Oregon and left coach Jim Harbaugh scratching his head.

Stanford entered the game as 10-point favorite at home. I thought the line was pretty conservative because I didn't think the USC defense would make a single stop. Stanford needed to win if it hoped to remain in the Pac-10 championship hunt and in the overall BCS picture. On the other hand, USC, despite what coaches and players said all week, probably did not expect to win the game; a solid overall performance in a close loss was more likely. And that's exactly what happened as Stanford nailed a field goal as time expired to send the Trojans home with a 35-37 loss.

Here are five takeaways from tonight's hard-fought game:

1. Matt Barkley's Improvement

Last week I criticized Barkley for his inability to make clutch routine plays. In that game, he failed to make simple throws in crucial situations. Tonight, however, was a different story. Barkley not only made the simple passes, but he made the tough ones, too. He showed great patience in the pocket, consistently made the right read, and maintained composure throughout the night. He showed that he could adjust the amount of velocity on his passes by zipping them into tight windows and floating ones over the defense, depending on what the situation warranted. Minus one ball late in the game in which he left Ronald Johnson exposed to a big hit by an oncoming safety, Barkley placed the football in the right spots for his receivers. The second-year quarterback ended the game 28-for-45 for 390 yards and 3 touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not throw an interception. Additionally, Barkley tied Allen Bradford for the team high in rushing tonight with 33 yards (although the team should not be proud of this).

2. Robert Woods' Emergence

Before tonight, most USC fans thought of Woods as two things:  a highly-touted, athletic freshman wide receiver and the special teamer who ran a kickoff back for 97 yards and touchdown against Minnesota earlier this season. While Woods showed flashes of brilliance throughout USC's first five games, he had not yet had his official "coming out" party. That all changed tonight.

The speedy game-changer had the performance of a lifetime. Woods caught 12 balls for a whopping 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also added 3 kick returns for 86 yards. Woods did everything that a team could expect from a go-to wide receiver; he caught tough passes over the middle in traffic; he made acrobatic catches in the air; he caught short passes in open space and made defenders miss en route to a huge yards-after-catch stat line; and he made catches on key downs/situations. He showed a lot of courage on a big stage tonight, and the USC coaching staff and USC fans should be ecstatic. The other wide receivers don't seem to want to, or be able to, step up and make big plays when the offense needs them. Fortunately, Woods looks like he is of a different mold. If Woods can stay healthy and remain motivated, he will do big things before he leaves USC for the next level.

3. USC Defensive Backs Have Eyes in the Back of Their Heads

…that is the only explanation for why every member of the USC secondary plays with his back to the football. I mention this every week, regardless of whether we win or lose. It happens at least once per game, usually more:  the opposing quarterback throws a pass, medium to deep in range, and a USC defensive back flails his arms in the air while watching the wide receiver catch the ball in front of him. No attempt is made to locate or catch the ball.

As expected, this happened multiple times tonight. On two different occasions, play-by-play commentator Mike Patrick said, "The defender…never..saw…the ball." Once it was safety Jawanza Starling and another time it was cornerback Torin Harris. Surprisingly, I don't think Shareece Wright was guilty of any no-look defending today, although he did blow a couple tackles. I'm still waiting for the day that a USC defensive coordinator teaches the players in our secondary to play the ball, not the wide receiver. Until then, our secondary will not be able to reverse the following statistic:  through six weeks, USC, out of all the teams in the country, has given up the most pass completions of 15 or more yards.

4. USC Defense Cannot Keep Containment

While I am tempted to say that the USC defense cannot stop the run, period, that may be a slight exaggeration. They have shown the ability to stop the inside run at times. However, it is the outside run that gives them trouble. Why? Because USC defensive linemen and linebackers cannot keep containment. We saw it plenty of times throughout the first five games and some more tonight. Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor carried the ball 23 times for 104 yards and 1 touchdown, and most of his success came on the edges. His long run of 31 yards was the result of him bouncing the carry outside and picking up yards on the perimeter.

But perhaps most telling of USC's inability to contain runs to the outside is the amount of yards that opposing quarterbacks pick up with their legs. Tonight, Luck ran 6 times for 40 yards (6.7 yards per carry) and had a long of 19 yards that came on an important 3rd and 9 in the second quarter. Last week, USC gave up 110 yards to Locker. Trust me, these quarterbacks are not putting their heads down and running through Jurrell Casey in the middle; they are swinging wide around our defensive ends and around our outside linebackers that consistently over-pursue, get pinched down inside by a tackle or tight end, or find themselves out of position for whatever reason. Our defensive woes against the run will stop only if Monte Kiffin gets this straightened out. And beware:  our inability to contain on the edges will absolutely kill us against Oregon.

5. USC Has Heart

Look, obviously the Trojans lost. And they lost, for the second week in a row, in heartbreaking fashion. But in every defeat you can, and must, takeaway some good and parlay that into next week. And I saw plenty of good stuff tonight. Beyond the numbers and statistics, I saw courage and I saw heart. I saw players fighting for redemption. That kind of character will go a long way in determining how this team finishes the season and how some of these players finish their careers.

Barkley had a terrible game last week against the Huskies. Statistically, it was his weakest game of the season in terms of completions, yards, and touchdowns. And he made some costly mistakes that probably prevented us from winning. But Barkley responded tonight by having the best game of his season thus far. He had a season-high in completions and yards, and played mistake-free football. He bounced back and made a loud statement about what kind of player he is. And you have to respect and love that as a USC fan.

Next, take tailback Allen Bradford. Last week, the bruiser ran up and down Washington's defense and posted a career day with 223 yards and 2 touchdowns. This week? He was shut down by a much tougher Stanford defense. In fact, up until just over one minute left in the game, Bradford recorded 11 carries for only 20 yards. But how does he respond to three and one half quarters of getting knocked down and stuffed at the line? By carrying the ball twice, for 13 yards and 1 touchdown, in the red zone on USC's final drive. He didn't let the rest of the game and his performance affect him. Scouts will notice that.

Finally, senior fullback and captain Stanley Havili also redeemed himself tonight. During the fourth quarter, on a critical third down, Kiffin dialed up the most brilliant call of his young career by letting Marc Tyler throw a pass out of the wildcat formation. Tyler lobbed the football to a wide open Havili, but Havili, normally sure-handed, bobbled the ball and blew an opportunity to give the Trojans the lead. At that point, Havili could have ran to the sideline, took his helmet off, and mailed in the rest of the game. Instead, Kiffin sent him back onto the field, and on 4th and 2, Barkley went right back to Havili, who, this time, caught the ball, turned up field and converted the key first down. Only big time players overcome mistakes like Havili did.

Five Takeaways from Washington's Upset Over USC

Last night's upset loss to Washington was frustrating not because it was the second straight season USC lost to the Huskies on a last-second field goal, but because of the way USC dropped the game. The contest was poorly coached by Lane Kiffin and his staff, the defense was undisciplined and outmatched, and our starting quarterback disappeared when it counted most. Here are five takeaways I made from 8th row on the 35-yard line:

1. Kiffin's Decision-Making is Suspect

Two weeks ago, after the Trojans escaped Minnesota with a victory, I wrote about how Lane Kiffin's antics were not only confusing me, but also bothering me. More specifically, I cited his now ubiquitous two-point conversion charade that he introduced against Hawaii and his use of timeouts at the end of the first half against the Gophers. Since then, I have come around a bit on the first issue; I think the two-point conversion charade is a nice twist to a part of the game that opposing defensive coordinators may take for granted. However, I am still not sold on Kiffin's laughable use of timeouts versus Minnesota. Although many in the media quickly justified his tactics by saying the coach simply did not want to "leave any timeouts in his pocket," I thought that was a lame excuse for his pathetic behavior. Luckily, that abomination occurred at the end of the first half--not at the end of the game--and did not significantly come back to bite the Trojans.

Well, let's jump to the end of last night's game. At a point when clock management was more important than anything else, Kiffin again butchered an opportunity to use timeouts to put his team in a position to score and salvage a victory. As I sat in the Coliseum watching precious seconds run off the clock, I was completely baffled. In fact, I don't remember ever feeling so confused during a sporting event.

After kicker Joe Houston missed a critical field goal (more on this later) with 2:34 left in the game, Jake Locker and the UW offense took over at their own 23-yard line. The stage was set for a game-winning drive and another UW upset over USC. With the crowd on its side, USC managed to get UW to 4th and 10 before Locker converted for 18 yards to wide receiver D'Andre Goodwin over the left hashmark. Running back Chris Polk then gashed USC on a run for 26 yards and another for 6 yards. With the ball on USC's 33-yard line, it was clear that UW planned on running the ball to get in better field position for a field goal. UW ran three straight times, one of which gained a first down. But after each attempt, Kiffin did not use any of his three timeouts (where have we seen this before?). Why wouldn't Kiffin use his timeouts and force UW to give the ball back to USC with a chance for Barkley to lead his own game-winning drive? Seemed like simple football strategy to me. Instead, Kiffin let UW run the clock down to three seconds, at which point Kiffin tried to ice Husky kicker Erik Folk. Not once. But twice. He tried to ice Folk twice with back-to-back timeouts! I seriously thought I was at the theater watching a comedy. Well, as expected, Folk hit the game-winning field goal, and the joke was on Kiffin and the Trojans.

Kiffin's clock mismanagement bothered me for a couple of reasons. First, the approach went against common football sense. During the game, I had the feeling that the winner would be whoever had the ball last. In such a tight, back-and-forth contest, you have to give yourself a chance to win. And by not saving the clock for Barkley and the USC offense, he left the destiny of the team in hands, or foot, of Erik Folk.

Second, his attempt to instead use the timeouts to ice the kicker was something I would never in a million years see from a coach on a championship-level team. Would Nick Saban, Jim Tressel, or Urban Meyer ever do something like that? Never. Does Kiffin think we're all stupid? Is he even taking his job seriously? I seriously want to ask him those questions. He needs to cut the crap and play football. I am tired of his tough guy act to the media, undisciplined players, and gimmicky offensive strategies. Prepare the boys to play disciplined and motivated football. Do your job.

Finally, from what I learned after the game, Kiffin did not operate with the mindset of a leader and a coach. When asked about Washington's final game-winning drive, Kiffin said, "We weren't going to stop them. We were dead." I'm sorry, what? To be honest, I completely agree with that statement. I knew the defense was not good enough to make a stop in that situation. But for the head coach to think that in the heat of battle is unforgivable. These first five games have raised serious concerns for me regarding Kiffin's ability to coach a big-time program, especially one in which I have lots of pride. He disappointed in the NFL with Oakland, he disappointed with Tenneseee, and I don't have any faith he will be successful at SC.

2. Barkley Progressing Slower than Expected

The second-year quarterback did not have to do too much last night. Allen Bradford ran like a man possessed (more on this later) and Kiffin seemed comfortable with keeping the ball on the ground and controlling the tempo of the game. But in most games, you eventually need to throw the football. Whether you have to throw to convert on the occasional third-and-long or you have to throw just to keep the defense off balance, you have to put the ball in the hands of your quarterback and make a play or two. While Barkley's final numbers look sufficient (14-for-20, 186 yards), he did not step up in the few instances that the team needed him. Shortly into the fourth quarter, USC had the ball on 3rd and 8 at the Washington 10-yard line. The Huskies led 29-28 and the Trojans had a chance to cap off a nice drive with a touchdown. Wide receiver David Ausberry broke loose in the back of the end zone, but Barkley fired a bullet that sailed too high for the 6'4" senior.

Later, on USC's most important drive of the game, Barkley failed again. On 3rd and 5 at the Washington 24-yard line, USC desperately needed a first down. Moving the chains would allow USC to run the clock out and win the game. Barkley dropped back and saw a wide open Jordan Cameron over the right hashmark. And again, Barkley fired a bullet that sailed too high for his wide receiver. The incomplete pass left USC in a dicey predicament. They chose to attempt the field goal, which was evidently shanked by Joe Houston.

I am not saying Barkley should lose his job. But I just want to put forth the idea that maybe Barkley is not going to be what USC fans expect. I know he is only a sophomore and has plenty of time to learn and progress, but to this point in his career, he has not learned much. For someone who until this performance had received minor Heisman consideration, he has been vastly overrated. And when you examine the other quarterbacks in his class in the Pac-10, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Arizona's Nick Foles have developed considerably faster than Barkley.

3. Running-Back-by-Committee? Try Running-Back-by-Bradford

When Kiffin decided to name Marc Tyler as the number one running back on the depth chart instead of Allen Bradford, I questioned his decision. On numerous occasions, I lobbied for Bradford because of his experience, proven track record, and running style. Through the team's first four games, Bradford did not disappoint. But last night the senior tailback put together the most impressive performance of his career and may finally have cemented himself back at the top of the totem pole. The bruising running back carried the ball 21 times en route to 223 yards and 2 touchdowns. He consistently ran for four, six, or eight yards, and had a long of 37 yards. He probably should have had 4 touchdowns on the day because two of those were taken away from him by Tyler in the red zone. That being said, it is clear who USC needs to give the ball to if they want to be a running team.

On a side note, Kiffin fascinated me by his implementation of the wildcat formation into our offense last night. Tyler took the snaps and Barkley lined up wide. I think the wildcat is a nice formation to add to the playbook because it gives the defense another look to worry about. That being said, I hope the short term success of the new formation does not convince Kiffin to lower Bradford's carries out of the regular set.

4. USC Secondary Auditioning for Surprise Season of 'Lost'

I talked about the perpetual overrating of Shareece Wright last week. If he is our best corner, which he is, things in the secondary are not going to be pretty. And we saw that firsthand last night. The USC secondary gave up 310 passing yards to Locker and did not force one interception. By comparison, last week Locker went 4-for-20 for 71 yards and 2 interceptions, at home, against Nebraska. USC's cornerbacks were consistently beat off the line of scrimmage and their safeties were always out of position. Perhaps the most comical example of their poor play was at the start of fourth quarter after Locker exited the game with his apparent injury. UW backup quarterback Keith Price, a true freshman with only one career pass attempt, came in and lobbed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Izbicki. The pass was thrown softly over USC safety T.J. McDonald, who had his head and back turned away from the ball. McDonald, in an effort to look like he was defending the pass, jumped into the air and waved his arms. It looked like he was doing jumping jacks in the back of the end zone. USC defensive backs, for years now, have been defending passes with their backs to the ball, yet we think of these guys are legitimate corners and safeties. It astounds me.

5. Joe Houston, You Are the Problem

Ah, I saved the most upsetting observation--at least on the surface--for last. Everyone's out for Joe Houston at this point. The kicker, who up until last night's game was 1-for-4 on field goal attempts, missed what was probably the biggest kick of his life. For the record, I agree with Kiffin's decision to "take the points" at the juncture in the game. A lot of people thought that Kiffin should have gone for it on fourth down, and although I know the defense is an embarrassment, I thought they could have prevented Locker and UW from reaching the end zone. But hindsight is 20/20, and now that I know Houston is incapable of hitting a 40-yard field goal, I would have gone for it on fourth down (Houston is now 0-for-3 on attempts over 40 yards).

Houston's missed field goal is a testament not only to his abilities, but the Trojans special teams as a whole. Our kicking game--field goals, punting, and kickoffs--is a non-factor. Kicker Jacob Harfman did not send a single kickoff past Washington's 5-yard line, which enabled UW to return every kick and give themselves strong starting field position.

Special teams was never a priority under Pete Carroll. At least Kiffin has shown a commitment to special teams by appointing a specific coach for the unit. But until we begin recruiting kickers, USC will never feel confident in close games. And now that the talent disparity in the Pac-10 has shrunk, confidence in close games and a kicker that can convert big kicks are two things that USC will need in order to achieve success.

Trojan Postgame Report: Recap and Breakdown of USC at Minnesota

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The biggest question for the 2-0 USC Trojans coming into today's showdown against Minnesota was whether both the offense and defense could deliver quality performances during the same game. Prior to this, the offense looked good against Hawaii while the defense looked terrible. In the next game against Virginia, the defense looked stout while the offense looked relatively anemic. Coach Lane Kiffin wants the team to play consistently week in and week out, and develop an identity. Let's see if Kiffin got his wish...

First Quarter

Leading up to the game, Minnesota spent a lot of time telling the media that they planned on emphasizing the run game today. It wanted to establish the run and then meet its goal of gaining at least two first downs per offensive possession. On its first drive, Minnesota ran the ball twice, both for zero or negative yardage, and then threw an incomplete pass on third down. Mission failed.

The Trojans offense began the game exactly how I expected:  slow. For whatever reason, I have these hopes that our offense will open every game with a quick strike and suffocate teams early. But unfortunately, for the third straight week, the team rudely wakes me up. The first play of the game was a play-action bootleg that resulted in Barkley connecting with tight end Rhett Ellison for 24 yards. That play got my hopes up, and the next four plays brought them back down. In the blink of an eye we faced fourth down and sent kicker Joe Houston out on the field. Not surprisingly, he missed. The SC kicking game has been atrocious throughout the Pete Carroll era, but hopefully Lane Kiffin can turn things around by emphasizing special teams more during recruiting.

Minnesota's second position was highlighted by a short completion on a crossing route that turned into a big gain. With the ball in the red zone, USC then committed a defensive holding penalty (shocking, isn't it?) that gave Minnesota the ball on the one-yard line. The Gophers punched it in from there and completed the extra point to take an early 7-0 lead. This particular drive was a wild one for freshman cornerback Nickell Robey. He made some nice open-field tackles and showed solid speed in pursuit of cutting down Minnesota ball carriers. But then he committed the holding penalty after getting beat off the line of scrimmage near the end zone. Robey is a good looking player who has plenty of athleticism. The experience he has received and continues to receive will benefit him going forward.

USC responded with a 13 play, 60 yard drive that lasted 5 minutes and 28 seconds. It was a run-heavy drive that even included an Allen Bradford sighting! The bruising back got 2 carries for 23 yards after Marc Tyler and Dillon Baxter were taken out for breathers. It was great to see Bradford get some carries and contribute. I am still a bit disappointed that Bradford has not been featured more in the offense this season, but I do recognize that Tyler and Baxter are worthy running backs and that someone has to unfortunately be left out.

The quarter ended with a disappointing personal foul penalty on one of SC's defensive linemen. Coach Orgeron chewed the big fella out on the sideline as ESPN showed us statistics of how ridiculously undisciplined the team has been so far this year..

Two last first quarter notes:  First, the play-by-play announcer said that C.J. Gable is one of the best kickoff returners in USC history. Is that the most ludicrous comment we've heard through the first three weeks? I dare you to find one that is worse. Second, the defensive line looked really impressive in the quarter. It got great jumps off the ball on running plays and blew up most of Minnesota's rushes. Ideally, I would like a little more pressure on the quarterback but the Gophers do not exactly have a dangerous passing attack.

Second Quarter

SC begins the second quarter with the type of quick strike that I expected from them in the first quarter! After a short pass from Barkley and two modest runs, Kiffin called a play-action deep ball. Barkley rolled to his right and fired deep down field to an open Ronald Johnson, who caught the ball in stride and galloped into the end zone. On the replay, RoJo zigzagged through the Gophers defense and got behind its secondary with ease. And, perhaps most importantly, the team did not commit a penalty, so the play actually counted. A beautiful 4 play, 77 yard drive in 1 minute and 37 seconds.

After the touchdown, SC went for two, continuing a trend that was set during the first game at Hawaii. The conversion failed as backup quarterback Mitch Mustain ran into a wall of Gophers at the 2-yard line.  I still don't understand the decision making process on these two point conversion attempts. According to the guys in the booth, if SC sees that the defense lines "right," then they will revert back to the extra point, but if the defense looks unprepared, then they will go for two.

SC got a nice stop on the ensuing Minnesota drive capped off by a T.J. Bryant sack. 

If SC is running at full potential, you would expect them to capitalize off the strong defensive stand and score another touchdown. The next drive started off poorly with two penalties on three plays. That resulted in a 3rd and 15, and Barkley only managed to get 10 of those yards back on a pass over the middle. However, on the next play, a simple, innocent punt to Minnesota, the ball hit a Gopher in the back as it bounced up off of the ground and SC recovered the football. Huge break for the Trojans as they get the ball on the Minnesota 38.

The half ended the two quarterbacks through back-to-back interceptions. It was the first interception thrown by both Matt Barkley and Minnesota's Adam Weber. It was altogether a very disappointing half in my estimation. The Trojans failed twice, once in the first and once in the second quarter, to capitalize on favorable field position. Also, the Trojans hampered themselves with 5 penalties for 42 yards. I would have liked to see the offense gun it a little more. Barkley was accurate throughout the first half--the lone interception was the result of a miscommunication between him and a receiver. And USC's receivers have the speed to get behind the Gophers secondary, as demonstrated by RoJo on the 53-yard touchdown catch.

Random thought to close the half:  some of Kiffin's antics are beginning to not only confuse me, but bother me. In the Hawaii game it was the rampant two-point conversion attempts. He showed a little more of that against Virginia and today at Minnesota. But as the first half was coming to an end, Kiffin refused to use timeouts to spare the clock with over a minute remaining. Minnesota threw an interception on a third down that Barkley promptly returned back to them on the ensuing possession. But then, with about 30 seconds remaining (less time than on the previous defensive stand), Kiffin started to burn the timeouts! He was not going to let Minnesota simply kneel on the ball to run out the clock. After Minnesota punted the ball, Kiffin then sent Barkley out to kneel the ball. Is Kiffin off his rocker, or is it just me? Was there any strategy there?

Third Quarter

The opening drive of the second half looked great until SC committed its obligatory drive-killing penalty. Wide receiver Brandon Carswell delivered a low block on a swing pass that cost the Trojans a first down and another 15 yards. Then Barkley committed his worst decision and throw of the season thus far by forcing a high ball over the middle that Minnesota's James Manuel picked off.

Minnesota's run-dominant play-calling to this point has befuddled me. I think it's great to establish the run, but eventually you have to abandon it and take a shot down the field. On the other hand, USC does not seem to want to win this game, so perhaps Minnesota thinks it can just stay close by running the ball and controlling the clock until deep into the fourth quarter when it will take a risk.

Oops, I guess I was wrong. Minnesota ran and controlled the clock until deep into the third (not fourth) quarter when it took a risk by throwing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Da'Jon McKnight to take the lead. As is customary for USC cornerbacks in the past seven seasons, Robey had his back to the football as it was in the air and thus could not even make an attempt at a play. Pathetic.

But just like that, the Trojans responded behind a Robert Woods 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He is an electric playmaker and the big play completely took the crowd out of the game. Wait, why wasn't C.J. Gable--the best returner in USC history--back to return it instead? Somebody ask the guys in the booth. Fortunately for us, it was Woods instead, because I know Gable would not have brought that one to the house.

SC's defense followed the game-changing return touchdown by stuffing Minnesota's run game to force a punt. The ensuing drive poured over into the fourth quarter…

Fourth Quarter

The drive that started in the previous quarter reminded me of something out of Varsity Blues. If you remember, in the movie the racist head coach used the black running back to pound the ball all the way into the red zone, where he would then dial up a pass for his white quarterback so that the QB would look great in the box score.  Well, on this drive, SC ran the ball down Minnesota's throat with a steady dose of Allen Bradford and some Marc Tyler sprinkled in here and there. Then when they got near the red zone, Barkley dropped back and floated a ball to David Ausberry who ran a slant-and-go into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown catch. I'm not insinuating anything about Kiffin, but I just thought that the way the drive developed looked familiar to me. Regardless, it gave SC a two score lead and probably went a long way in boosting Barkley's morale.

On SC's second drive of the quarter, they continued to run the football and keep the clock on its side. Minnesota bailed them out on a third and long with a critical face mask penalty, and then a few plays later, Bradford added to his dominant performance by breaking a 56-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Gophers defense. Through three and a half quarters, Bradford has rushed 12 times for 127 yards and 1 touchdown. Perhaps this will showing will get him more carries in the future.

Forgotten linebacker Chris Galippo helped the defense maintain a decent level of intensity as he had an impressive fourth quarter. The highly recruited linebacker had a huge sack and added an interception off a tipped pass. USC ended the game by giving Mitch Mustain some snaps under center and C.J. Gable the majority of the garbage time carries. Gable ran the ball well and stirred up some nostalgia from my sophomore year when he was a featured back in Carroll's offense.

Final Notes

The Trojans started slow, but finally showed signs of putting it all together. They still have not reached their full potential, but it was good to see both sides of the ball have success. The running game looked great as it went 37 carries for 206 yards (5.6 yards per carry). They were really able to dominate on the ground, which is a testament to the ability of the offensive line to get a good push off of the ball.

The passing game was okay today as it struggled during some stretches of the game (Barkley's 2 interceptions) but still showed signs of explosiveness (RoJo's 53-yard catch).

Special teams made a difference today, which is all you can ask from that unit. Robert Woods' 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter changed the game and gave SC the swagger it needed to finish the game strong. Punter Jacob Harfman also helped SC tilt the field during certain situations by delivering solid kicks.

Finally, it was also pleasant to see the defense not let up during garbage time the defense played pretty well until the 0:11 mark of the 4th quarter when it allowed a "feel good" touchdown to Minnesota. Prior to that, Minnesota did not test SC much. The D forced 3 turnovers, held Weber to 15-for-29 on pass attempts, and limited the Gophers to 2.2 yards per carry on the ground. Seeing as that the Gophers ran the ball 37 times, it was impressive to see the defense hold them to under 100 yards.

My player of the game was Allen Bradford. After losing his starting job to Marc Tyler in the preseason and arguably losing his second-string spot to freshman Dillon Baxter, the thunderous senior tailback rushed 13 times for 129 yards and 1 touchdown (9.9 yards per carry). On countless occasions he ran over/through multiple defenders and reminded us (not that I needed it) that he can take over a football game. My runner-up was Robert Woods, who delivered a crucial kickoff return for a touchdown. Although it was just one play, it was probably the most important play. USC was against the ropes at that point as Minnesota had just taken a 14-13 lead and the crowd got back into it. Woods' play single-handedly rejuvenated the Trojans and devastated the Gophers and their fans.

Ultimately, while I was frustrated at times, I thought it was an encouraging performance. Conference play begins next weekend against the Washington State Cougars. I am looking for a dominant performance in Pullman.